The Family Collection of the late Countess Mountbatten of Burma

The Family Collection of the late Countess Mountbatten of Burma

View full screen - View 1 of Lot 197. A silver presentation copy of the Blacksmiths cup of 1655 presented to Lady Brabourne by the Blacksmith's Company, maker's mark JM over MG, London, 1976.

A silver presentation copy of the Blacksmiths cup of 1655 presented to Lady Brabourne by the Blacksmith's Company, maker's mark JM over MG, London, 1976

Auction Closed

March 24, 08:41 PM GMT

Estimate

300 - 500 GBP

Lot Details

Description

A silver presentation copy of the Blacksmiths' cup of 1655 presented to Lady Brabourne by the Blacksmiths Company

maker's mark JM over MG, London

1976


smaller than the original, the stem formed as a figure of Vulcan at his anvil, matt finish bowl engraved with the arms of the Worshipful Company of Blacksmiths below copy of the original inscription, the underside inscribed Presented to the lady Brabourne by the Blacksmiths Company-January 6th-1977, fitted leather bound blue velvet case, Asprey & Co Ltd

18cm. high 

305gr, 9oz 16dwt

The original Blacksmiths' Company cup was a special commission ordered by Christopher Pym as a thanks offering to the Company when he was appointed Clerk in 1655. Despite its close associations, Pym's gift was sold by the Company and came into the collection of Ralph Bernal (1783-1854), a wealthy merchant and member of parliament. It was sold in the sale of his collections at Messrs.


Christie & Manson, March 5, 1855, lot 1424, for £37 10s to S. Zimmerman. It afterwards belonged in succession to Sir Frederick Milbank, 1st Bt. (1820-1898) and to Joseph Dixon (1823-1910), a barrister and author of A Treatise on the Law of Partnership (London, 1866) and was sold at Christie's respectively on 27 February 1890 (510 guineas) and 14 March 1911 (£4,100). The cup was then purchased by Sir Ernest Cassel and is now part of the collection of the Ashmolean Museum, Oxford.